Waterloo, WI
Waterloo wildfire risk explained
Waterloo's 1,554 buildings earn a 43rd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Waterloo's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 44th percentile nationally.
Waterloo's building exposure, zone by zone
Only 17.4% of Waterloo's 1,554 buildings carry Direct exposure and 0% carry Indirect; the remaining 82.6% are Minimal, which shifts the risk driving this page's score toward the surrounding landscape rather than any one structure.
Waterloo against the rest of the country
Waterloo's 94th-percentile standing inside Wisconsin outpaces its 43rd national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Waterloo ranks 17,983 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 8,943 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wisconsin alone, it ranks 50 of 808 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Wisconsin on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Waterloo
At the 43rd national percentile, Waterloo rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Waterloo
Even with 82.6% of Waterloo outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Waterloo's figures come from
Waterloo's 43rd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Waterloo's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.